Buffer attachment for vestibule diaphragms



Se t. 30, 924. 151mm.

W. D. VAUGHAN ET AL BUFFER ATTACHMENT FOR VESTIBULE DI'APHRAGMS FiledJan. 30. 1924 2 Sheets-Shae. 1

. IA'IVENTORS W. D.Vau hem,

E. MDR: wrmam,

Sept. 30, 1924. 1511 0381 W. D. VAUGHAN ET AL BUFFER ATTACHMENT FORVESTIBULE DIAPHRAGMS Filed Jan. 30. 1924 ZSheets-Sheei 2,

INVENTORS W. J). Vau hmn,

Patents Sept. 36, TQZ4.

WALTER D. VAUGHAN AND EDWARD M. DICKERMAN, OF RUTLA ND, VERMONT.

BUFFER ATTACHMENT FOR VESTIBULE DIAPHRAGMS.

Application filed January 30, 1924. Serial No. 689,448.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that we, WALTER D. VAUGHAN and EDWARD M. DICKERMAN, citizensof the United States, residing at Rutland, in the county of Rutland andState of Vermont, haveinvented certain new and useful Thi provements inBuffer Attachments for Vestibule Diaphragms, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to a buffer attachment, designed primarily foruse in connection with diaphragms of ear vestibules, but it is to beunderstood that a buffer attachment in accordance with this inventioncan be employed for any purposes for which it is found applicable, andthe invention has for its object to provide, 'in a manner as hereinafterset forth, a. bufier attachment to overcome the wedging of the bufierspring so that the diaphragm after contraction will be shifted to normalposition, as well as to provide a buffer attachment to overcome theobjections presentin the type of buffer attachment now used, and suchobjections being the wedging out of place of one side of the face plateof the diaphragm, the wedging of one or both ends of the buffer spring,bending of the face plate of the diaphragm out of position, wearing offof the ends of the buffer spring to such an extent that either one orboth ends of the spring will break off, wearing out of the connectingbrackets for the ends of the buffer springs, and by overcoming such objections a buffer attachment is set up which when used will materiallyreduce the cost of maintenance, as well as providing for a satisfactorybuffing action with respect to the diaphragm during the travel of thecar, especially when the car is travelling around a curve and furtherwhen the cars are not in alignment.

Further objects of the invention are to provide, in a manner ashereinafter set forth, a buffer attachment for the purpose set forth,which is simple in its construction and arrangement, strong, durable,compact, thoroughly efiicient in its use, readily installed, andcomparatively inexpensive to set up.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists ofthe novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, ashereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention,but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modilicationscan be resorted to which come within the scope of the claims hereuntoappended.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote correspondingparts throughout the several views 2- Figure 1 is a top lan view showingthe adaptation of a bu er attachment, in accordance with this invention,with respect to the diaphragm of a. car vestibule.

Figure 2 is an end view of a car, broken away, showing the adaptationtherewith of a bufier attachment in accordance with this invention.

Figure 3 is a top plan view upon an enlarged scale of a bufferattachment in accordance with this invention.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4l-4, F igure 3.

Figure 5 are 3.

Figure 6. is a perspective view of the connecting bracket for connectingthe attachis a section on line 5-5, Figment with the body of the car.

Figure '7 is a grouped perspective view of the buffer spring couplingdevice.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 1 de notes a car body, 2thevestibule diaphragm and 3 the face plate of the diaphragm 2.

A buffer attachment, in accordance with this invention, is interposedbetween the upper end of the face plate 3 and the car body 1, and theattachment includes a buffer element, a pair of coupling devices and aconnecting bracket. The connecting bracket is secured to the car body 1,and one of the coupling devices secures the buffer element to theconnecting bracket and the other coupling device secures the bufferelement to the face plate 3 of the diaphragm 2.

The buffer element is indicated at 4 and is in the form of an ellipticalspring ofthe leaf or laminated type, and said elliptical spring can beof any size satisfactory for the purpose intended. The spring is formedof two like sections of arcuate contour and which are oppositelydisposed with respect to each other and pivotally connected together, attheir ends as at 5. The connecting bracket consists of a yoke-shapedbody portion 6 having each of its arms 7 formed with an outwardlyextending right angular- 1y disposed flange 8. The body portion 6 isformed with a series of openings 9 and each of the flanges 8 with anopening 10. The flanges 8 are positioned against the end of the carbody, as well as bein fixedly secured therewith by the hold-fast eevices 11, which extend through the openings 10.

One of the coupling devices is indicated generally by the referencecharacter 12, and the other coupling device by the reference character13. Each of the coupling devices is similar in construction and thedescription of one will apply to the other.

Each coupling device consists of a rectangular flat plate 14 ofsubstantial width and length and which is formed with a series ofopenings 15 corresponding in number to the number of openings 9 in thebody portion 6. Formed integral with the plate 14, at each side thereof,is a pair of plates 16, 17, which are rectangular in contour and ofsubstantal width. .The plates 16 and 17 are of less length than theplate 14 and each of said plates 16 and 17 is disposed with respect to,the plate 14, so that the latter will project from each of the endsthereof. The plates 16 are arranged in opposed relation or rather inparallelism and are spaced from each other by the plate 14 andarefurther disposed at right angles with respect to said plate, 14. Thecoupling device further includes a binder plate 18, having its innerface, as at 19, of areuate curvature, and said plate 18 is furthermoreprovided with a pair of openings 20 which align with a pair of openings15 in the plate 14. l Vhen the coupling device is set up, the plate 18is positioned between the plates 16 and 17 and bears against a. sectionof the spring 4, in a manner as shown in Flgures 3 and 5. The

inner face ofthe plate 18 conforms to the curvature of that section ofthe spring agalnst whlch sald face abuts.

Each of the coupllng devlces further in- V eludes two sets of securingmembers,one set of securing members of each of saidcouplingdevicesconsists of a pair of headed bolts 21, 22, each carryinga securing nut 23. The other set of securing members which is employedin connection with the coupling de vices 12 consists of a pair of headedbolts 24, 25, of less length than the length of thebolts 21 and 22, andeach of the bolts 24, 25 carries a securing nut 26. The other set ofsecuring members employed in connection with the coupling devices 13consists of a pair of rivets 27, 28, of materially less length than thelength of the bolts 21 and 22.

When the coupling devices are set up with respect to the spring 4, theyextend towards each other and each coupling devlce overlaps V and isconnected to the central portion of a section of the spring 4. The plate14 of each coupling device is of the samewidth as the width of that leafof a spring section against which the plate is positioned. The ends of Vopenings 15 of the plate 14 and further through the inner openings 9 ofthe body portion 6 of nuts 23 carried by the bolts 21 and 22 abutagainst the inner face of the body portion 6 of the connecting bracket.The bolts 24 and 25 extend through the outer openings 15 in the plate.14, and also through the outer openings 9 in thebody portion 6, and thenuts 26 carried by the bolts 24, 25 abut against the inner face of thebody portion 6 of the connecting bracket.

The coupling device 13 is secured to the face plate 3 and projectsrearwardly therefrom, and it is fixedly connected in position by the twosets of. securing members. 7' The bolts 21 and 22 extend through theopenings 29, 30 formed in the face plate 3 and the heads arecounter-sunk in said openings Thebolts 21, 22, further extend throughthe inner of the openings 15 of the plate 14, through that section ofthespring 4 Which is mounted in the coupling device, then through theopenings 20 in the plate 18 and the nuts 23 carried by the bolts 21, 22abut againstthe outer face of the plate 18. The

rivets 27 and 28 extend through and are counter-sunk in the openings 31,32,.formed the connecting bracket. The i in the face plate 3, andfurther are pro i jeeted into and counter-sunk in the outer openings 15of the plate 14. V V

The foregoing manner of setting up a buffer attachment overcomes theobjections heretofore pointed out in connection with buffer attachmentsnowin general use, and it is thought that the many advantages of thebuffer attachment in accordance with this invention can be readilyunderstood from the construction disclosed and illustrated, andalthoughthe preferred embodiment of the invention is as shown anddescribed, yet it is'to be understood that changes in the details of theattachment can be had which will fall within the scope of the inventionas claimed. w What we claim is 3 1. A buffer attachment for carvestibule diaphragms comprising a connecting bracket adapted to besecured to one end of a car, an elliptical spring formed of a pair ofoppositely disposed sections connected together at their ends, acoupling device inclosing and connected to the central portion of aspring section and including means for securing said section to the faceplate of the diaphragm, and a coupling device inclosing and connected tothe central portion of the other section of the spring and includingmeans for securing said section to said connecting bracket, saidcoupling devices extending towards each other and each including abinding plate having an arcuate face bearing against the inner face of aspring section.

2. A buffer attachment for car vestibule diaphragms comprising aconnecting bracket adapted to be secured to one end of the car, anelliptical spring formed of a pair of oppositely disposed sectionspivotally connected together at their ends, a pair of spaced couplingdevices extending towards each other, each of said devices overlappingthe central portion of a spring section, one of said devices includingmeans for connecting a spring section to said connecting bracket and theother of said devices includ ing means for securing the other of saidsections to the face plate of the diaphragm, and each of said devicesfurther including a binder plate engaging the inner face of a springsection.

3. A bufi er attachment for the purpose set forth comprising aconnecting bracket adapted to be secured to the end of a car body, apair of spaced opposed plates, means for securing one of said plates tosaid bracket, means for securing the other of said plates to the faceplate of a vestibule diaphragm, a plate integral with each side or" eachof said plates and of less length and further disposed at right angleswith respect thereto, a binder plate arranged be tween each pair ofangularly disposed plates, an elliptical spring formed of a pair ofoppositely disposed sections having the ends thereof pivotally connectedtogether, each of said sections extending between a pair of angularlydisposed plates, and means for securing said binder plates against saidsections and further for securing one of said sections to saidconnecting bracket and the other of said sections to said face plate.

In testimony whereof, we aflix our signatures hereto.

WALTER D. VAUGHAN. EDWARD M. DICKERMAN.

